Thank you

Dear Cleveland Browns,

Thank you.

This was exactly what the city of Cleveland, the Browns fan base, and the franchise needed. Thank you for some hope in a time of need. Thank you for a small flame in frigid December. Thank you for providing the hope, which the national and, sadly, the local media, could not. Well done.

Happy Holidays,

A dedicated fan

A Little Note

First and foremost, and this is long overdue, I’d like to thank the Browns (and somewhat begrudgingly, the Lions) for playing a fantastic game of football two weeks ago. However brief and short-lived, the Browns caused me to lose my voice and gave us fans a glimmer of hope. Quinn looked like the player we thought we drafted and alongside him were many others doing just the same. If for nothing else, thanks for that one game that reminded us why we are Browns fans.

Now face to the future. With a season that gave us little, if anything, to hang our hats on, coming to a close, I think there are few things that can give us some solace in these tumultuous times.

1. While I didn’t think it possible, Braylon Edwards has played almost as poorly for the Jets as he did for the Browns. I don’t think our trade looks so bad. I do believe he has certain ESPN commentators singing a different tune and contriving different mixed metaphors. Chancey Stuckey is quietly developing the more comfortable he gets with the offense and Jason Trusnek is now a starter and is playing well (a safety against the Lions) and we still get two more draft picks. Cleveland 1 and the national media 0.

2. To dovetail off that and stick with the Jets, all the criticism surrounding the Browns early season trade of the fifth overall pick and not taking Mark Sanchez has fizzled with each of his interceptions that have landed him second on the list in the NFL as far as thrown interceptions are concerned. Alex Mack, on the other hand, has been nothing if not solid. Whether they’ll admit it or not, that’s two Mangini moves that had him catching heat from the media (and fans) that have actually panned out for the Browns. Cleveland 2 and the national media 0.

3. While injuries have plagued the Browns this season, I don’t think it’s a total loss. While we have no identity nor do we have a marquee player, we are, as we move through the ranks of the second and third stringers, establishing a very, very solid foundation from which to build on. Everyone, from the coaches on down, is fighting for a job. It’s with that perseverance and tenacity that we will move forward with and build upon. When we bring in some more talent and get our draft picks, we will already have the scaffolding in place.

4. Finally, our owner has seen enough and is going to bring in the big guns. Be it Holmgren, Parcells, or whomever, we are going to see something happen and something happen fast. That I’m willing to guarantee. Believe it or not.

How much this leaves us with is up for debate, but I don’t think this has been a total waste of a season. I truly don’t believe we can get any worse, which logically means we can only get better. How soon, is yet to be known. Here we go, Brownies, here we go. Woof woof.

Don't Look in the Mirror, Browns Fans

Well, Brownie Elves, I’m not sure what there is to say on the morning of the Browns Primetime appearance. The team seems to be in shambles from the practice squad all the way up to the owner’s box. There really isn’t any way around it. But I still love them. I still turn the TV on and moan and groan for three hours every Sunday or Monday. Am I a glutton for punishment? Or am I a fan doing what fans are supposed to do? If we went 0-16 or (likely) 1-15, I would still sit there for the long haul. It’s easy to criticize the organization and point out every flaw in our system. Do we have a rookie offensive coordinator who makes poor play calling decisions and fails to utilize the little talent we have? Yes. Has the coaching gone from bad to worse? Yes. Is the offense stuck in reverse? Yes. I will say that it has been nice to see Randy Lerner finally speaking up about this crippled organization, but is it too long and too late? Possibly.

Here’s an interesting question, though. Are there any real Cleveland Browns fans left? I realize there are a lot of Clevelanders, (upwards of 400,000) but I think a very small percentage of them are actually true fans. The fans, and yes, I understand these are some very tough times on the shores of Lake Erie, are just as bad as the organization. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in any way trying to defend the team’s operations and performances, but when I go to Cleveland.com and read the comments, watch the local news, or go to the games, I can tell there are very few fans backing this team. When I drive around and see as many, if not more, Steelers flags on any given block, I can tell that the fan base has all but vanished. When I have a friend tell me that she took her kids trick-or-treating with Browns pins on their costumes, and they were hassled by people right here in Northeast Ohio for wearing their Browns paraphernalia, I can tell that Browns fans are on the verge of extinction.

For a fan base that has been very critical of the coaches and team and saying players aren’t trying or are giving up (Braylon Edwards), I’d like to flip the mirror and point out those exact same flaws in the fans. Most of the fans have called it quits, are no longer watching the games, and demanding people’s jobs. We have fans calling for a “Brownout” during tonight’s game and asking fans to skip the kickoff. Anyone who is in attendance for tonight’s game, I implore you to boycott the Brownout. And for everyone who plans on sitting in the parking lot until after kickoff, here’s an idea: How about instead of skipping kickoff, why not just skip the whole game? Better yet, why not give your tickets to less fortunate fans, who can’t afford them and will actually go and support the players? Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be doing, supporting the players? Yeah, great idea, let’s show the organization that we’re upset (as if it’s not abundantly clear by now) by not supporting the players, who are out there every Sunday trying to make things happen.

I used to think Cleveland had the greatest fans in the world, but now I’m coming to realize our fan base was built on sand. I want, as much as anyone else, for this team to be a winner. I want to go to playoffs. I would love to go to the Super Bowl. Right now, I’d love just to win one more game. However, since none of those things are happening, I’m not going to quit being a Browns fan. No, I’ll watch every debacle of a game unfold. I’ll laugh a little. And I’ll come back next Sunday and do the same thing. For the fans who aren’t really fans, turn off the TV, don’t buy any tickets, don’t purchase any merchandise, and don’t acknowledge the Browns existence. Go watch basketball or hockey. Cheer for the Steelers as far as I care. The Browns don’t need you. And when this team gets turned around, sooner or later, and believe me, it will, don’t come back with your tails tucked between your legs and looking for a seat in the Dawg Pound. The orange chairs you refused to sit on will be filled with true supporters of the orange and brown.

Here we go, Brownies, here we go.

My Three Point Stance

1. The quarterbacks: I think Derek Anderson left a sour taste in the mouth of the Cleveland fans after the end of 2007 and through most of 2008. However, he has, along a very bumpy road, proven he can win. Remember, if it weren’t for DA, 2007 would have been as miserable of a season as we’ve seen. People have not been afraid to point out that DA has the lowest QB rating in the league, but what is conveniently left out, is the fact that the Browns have three pass- catching players in the top ten on the list of players with the most drops. I would maybe be more supportive of Quinn if he’d shown any sort of progress at all when he played, but he looked rather ugly, and maybe he needs to sit longer, or maybe he needs to be traded to a team with a system that suits him better. Whatever the case may be, I like DA because he’s not afraid to throw the ball down field, he hasn’t, in my opinion, looked awful in any game, and with a better protection and fewer dropped passes, I think DA will be fine. Plus, I’m just more comfortable with him.

2. The coaching/organization: I know it gets said a lot and probably will continue to be said, but we are rebuilding. That’s it. While I don’t agree with everything Mangini has done (massive fines, overly secretive operations, etc), he needs more than a year to get his system in place. Anyone who had high expectations for this season set themselves up for disappointment. We have 11 draft picks next year, and I’m not claiming that will be the big fix, but Mangini needs time; whether you like him or not, he needs time to get his pieces in place. If Mangini were playing chess, no one would expect him to win a game that he inherited that was already in progress with half of his pieces missing. I don’t like it any more than anyone else, but we may have to wait for the next match to begin to see how effective the system is (i.e. 2010). There’s been a lot of calling for Mangini’s job and for Quinn to start, but honestly a team with a replacement head coach, a first year starting QB, two rookie wide receivers, and a porous offensive line is not going to produce any more than we are right now.

Also, I’m going to go on record and say that the fan proposed “Brownout” is a horrible idea. First, the seats are orange, so it would be an orange out, and secondly, if the 1-6 record and boos haven’t made it clear to the organization that some sort of change is needed and that the fans are unhappy, I don’t think skipping kickoff is going to make it any clearer. This organization doesn’t owe us an apology. I think it’s ridiculous to think they’re not trying. Mangini is getting his system in place and Lerner, although he’s very hands off (he’s not a football guy and has never claimed to be one) is still writing the checks the team needs. I would rather have an absentee owner with a checkbook over a new owner who will move the team to god knows where.

3. The defense: Honestly, I have no answers. Once D’Qwell Jackson went down for the season, I knew we were going to be hurting. We have no playmakers. I guess the case could be made for Shaun Rogers, but other than him when he has some help, we only have role players. If someone is not going to step up, we just need to rely on sound mechanics and solid football. All the role players need to play their role, not even exceptionally, just soundly. That’s our best and only chance. That and keeping the defense off the field as long as possible.

P.S. Speaking of playmakers, Cribbs needs to have the ball frequently and furiously. Get him the ball or at least have him on the field, so opposing defenses think he’s getting the ball.

Reactions?

Here we go, Brownies, here we go. Woof. Woof.

A Call to Action

Well, Brownie Elves, we’re back to that familiar shoe that fits too well in Cleveland: Failure. The offense is in a state of paralysis and the defense can’t stop moving. Moving closer and closer to their own end zone, that is. But, I still don’t think this is the time to lick our wounds and sleep through Sundays. I have faith yet. Obviously, the word playoffs is foreign and winning record is like a checkbook that we can’t balance, but there’s still plenty of football to be played. I look at every Sunday as chance to be 1-0 and I think that’s about the best way to look at things. We still need to wear our orange and brown, scream until our voices leave us, and, most importantly, support this team. They haven’t given up. Despite what the local and national media say, this team has not given up. Regardless of record. Regardless of the future. Regardless of the heartache or the swine flu. These are professional athletes and competition is in their nature. They haven’t thrown in the towel and neither should we. If not for the fans, the Browns have nothing to play for, so, I say, let’s at least give them that. It’s one thing to come together when the team is winning, but the real character, the real fans, and the real people who truly understand why we cheer for the loser, come together during tough times. The times are tough, no doubt, but I refuse to believe the fans are not tougher. Here we go, Brownies, here we go. Woof. Woof.

With all the negativity that swirls around Cleveland, why do we still cheer? Is it showing solidarity in despondency? Or do we, as Browns fans, just like sharing a common target for our criticism?

It’s certainly not due to winning, so why are we Browns fans? Why bother? I’ve made my stance clear, but I’d like to see if I’m in the minority, so tell me what you think.

This is Our Team

For all the Cleveland Browns fans who happen upon this, let me give you my brief history in terms only Browns fans can understand, as well as validate myself among the few faithful who are, at times, tragically loyal to the orange and brown.

I’m a first-time blogger, but a longtime fan and fanatical supporter of the Cleveland Browns. I am 25 and I am a native Clevelander living in Akron. In Dawg Pound years, that’s 25 years that all started with elevated levels of optimism followed by heartbreaking levels of actualization. Levels all Browns fans (bless our glutton-for-punishment hearts) have grown accustomed to. I’m writing this blog as a young, but battle tested Clevelander, who every January releases a sigh with the city collective and says, There’s always next year. I’m writing this now as an adult reflecting on my childhood in Northeast Ohio, where words like Red Right 88 and The Drive and John Elway were always followed with a disheartened yet passionate four letter word. There’s always next year. I’m writing this as a Browns fan who attended the Blizzard Bowl in 2007 in the proud footsteps of my father who attended the Red Right 88 playoff game with a high temperate of 20 below. While the two experiences are 26 years apart, (my family is obviously genetically engineered to endure the traditional Browns football weather, or predisposed to stupidity, eitherway) I’m sure we both watched our beers freeze on the sides of our glasses, just as I know we both watched the Browns season come to another bitter conclusion. There’s always next year.

I’m writing this as a child who was raised in a house that was filled with dog barks from September until late December. I’m coming to this as a member of the new generation of Browns fans, but with parents and grandparents who put me in a Bernie Kosar jersey every Halloween. I’m here as a fan, who every Sunday puts on the requisite orange and brown, sets up camp on the sofa or treks to the stadium with a prayer in one hand, beer in the other, and a voice that will soon be lost on the shores of Lake Erie. The examples could go on, but the point is, I’m no stranger to the atmosphere of Cleveland football. I’ve been around for the bad and the good. Unfortunately more of the former than the latter, but nonetheless, I’m still here every Sunday with my friends and my family cheering for the perpetual underdog. Here we go, Brownies, here we go.

I wanted to introduce myself and the Believeland cause, and to create this blog not because I’m crestfallen and searching for a winner, but because I’ve come to realize, this year especially, that the tides seem to be shifting in the Cleveland fan base, tides that have always run shallow at the level of the national media, and I wanted to remind all of the true fans, including myself, that this is our team. Whether we win or lose, this is our team. Whether Mother Nature throws a blizzard at us or gives us sunburn in the orange stadium seats from here to December, this is our team. Whether we win out the rest of the season and shock the nation or set a new NFL record in consecutive quarters without scoring a touchdown, this is our team. The Cleveland Browns, in my opinion, have come to represent more than a win/loss statistic and desire for a winner in this part of Ohio. While, yes, winning is always on the minds of fans and players alike, what seems more important to me is the time once a week when we put our routines aside, forget about what Monday is going to bring, and come together as a city and bark like maniacs, and for those few hours, there’s a plethora of voices across Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, and the country all uniting into one solemn mantra: Here we go, Brownies, here we go. Woof. Woof. That’s the ideology I’m trying to promote with this blog. Sooner or later the winning will come, but the Browns, the fans, the city, and the stadium will always be here.

Please check back for updated posts and more commentary and feel free to offer feedback whether you agree with me or not. I’m always interested in what people have to say (except Rolling Stone) about my Brownies.